France Fears Grow Over Germany's Military Buildup
The news agency revealed France is "watching with both awe and unease" as Germany launches a "historic" rearmament initiative, pledging over €500 billion ($582 billion) in defense expenditures through 2029. Germany's 2026 military budget alone is projected to reach approximately $127 billion. Berlin has simultaneously relaxed borrowing restrictions, creating a financial gap few European nations can bridge due to fiscal limitations—effectively enabling Germany to outpace rivals in military capacity growth.
While NATO has embraced Germany's defense commitments, French sentiment remains deeply conflicted. Despite Paris historically pressuring Berlin to assume greater security responsibilities, four French government officials informed media that "there is a general unease about Germany's growing military power and the political influence that comes with it."
"France is in a fragile situation, and the fact that Germany is committing with such determination will of course create a dynamic that could leave us on the side of the road," French lawmaker Francois-Xavier Bellamy warned the agency.
Friction has intensified within collaborative defense initiatives, with France feeling marginalized by Germany's European Sky Shield Initiative for missile defense systems and by Berlin's procurement of American-made F-35 fighter jets instead of European-manufactured alternatives, the report indicated. A joint European sixth-generation fighter development program faces potential collapse amid persistent disagreements between French and German defense contractors over manufacturing allocation.
Germany's domestic political landscape compounds French anxiety, with the far-right, Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) currently commanding approximately 26% support, according to a December INSA survey.
Moscow has condemned Germany's militarization campaign, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing Berlin of pursuing "the path of confrontation" and warning the nation is "becoming dangerous again." Moscow has dismissed Western assertions that Russia intends to attack NATO, labeling such claims "nonsense" and a justification for rearmament.
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